The “skin-ization” of Android distributions has caused some concerns, with HTC and Motorola among the manufacturers to put their own look and feel on top of the standard operating system. It’s met with mixed success (that’s being kind to MotoBlur). Today, Motorola — which has banked a big part of its turnaround on Android handsets — acquired start-up 280 North to help it with its software strategy.
According to TechCrunch:
280 North created a programming language and set of frameworks collectively known as Cappuccino that can be used to create rich web applications in the same way you’d create desktop applications for MacOS X. Developers we’ve spoken with have praised the framework, calling it one of the best ways to make applications with little programming knowledge.
Connected Planet’s take,
Rich Karpinski:
While 280 North’s initial product is a Web-based presentation service, clearly its future — and the future of most developers — lies in mobile and/or multiple device applications. And that’s where Motorola’s future (or at least the future of its soon-to-be-spun-off handset business) lies, as well.
With Apple tightly aligning its hardware and software, competitors must walk the fine line between taking advantage of the open-source economics of Android and the need to put some higher-level branding and software pizazz on top of the free stuff.
What will Google — and its mobile operator partners — think of such customization? They probably won’t like it. (For carriers, in particular, it just means more software variations that they’ll ultimately have to provide support for.) Yet at the same time, such experimentation by software specialists is more likely to deliver the killer app-style hit the Android platform needs to keep pace with the iPhone (and iPad).
That’s our take on this. Let us know what you think in the comments section below: